27 August 2017

Laser Flames on the Great Big News - Laser Flames on the Great Big News

Laser
Flames on the Great Big News hail from Tennessee, USA and feature members and
ex members of Enfold Darkness, Rwake, Today is the Day and The Protomen. Laser
Flames on the Great Big News is the follow up to their previous EP, Lambs
to the Slaughter and the band have described their sound as
indescribable. They state a list of style that they use and mix them up
to make their own sound, making it hard to list them all without sounding like
I am just ticking off a long sheet of musical genres. The way they
describe themselves is a generalised, broad sweeping statement that has been
said many times before by other acts, so will Laser Flames.... truly stand out
from the crowd?

01
- Intro

This track does
exactly what it states on its title, it is a brief one minute plus track with lots of
pulsing bass, guitars sounding like they are singing and a feeling like a lost
Queen instrumental (I mean this in the best possible way). It sounds
great, but it is just here to drive up the anticipation.

02
- 31 Years

We
leave the classic rock sound to go into stoner rock in one easy jump with "31
Years", it is a stomping tune that mixes up the noise and has a bit of
classic metal added to the sound as well, something that is emphasized with the guitar solo. It is
a strong opening and at just over four minutes in length, it is also the
shortest track here (outside of "Intro"), it immediately grabs
you and drags you along without a care for your health or well-being.
What a great song!

03
- Lashes

"Lashes"
is a number that naturally changes pace and genre over the course of the song, merging a few different styles along the way. There
is a section which is country, there is a stoner stomp, there is a doom element,
there is a progressive rock element, a classic rock section and it really should
really be a glorious mess. However, they somehow manage to keep
everything together and tight as a bolt, making each section feel like a
natural link in a chain without appearing to be forced or without
purpose. I really like this song, it should not be working, but it sounds
brilliant!

04
- Open, Dead and Doomed

Doom,
doom, doom, doom! That is the flavour of the day with "Open, Dead
and Doomed", it is a heavy slab of rock that just grows with each repeated
spin of the record. The contrast in vocals, the beautiful pace of the
song and the sheer, heart wrenching attack on the audio senses is a joy to behold.
I love the way it seamlessly flows into each section of the song, each slight
chase of pace & style (at the end, the blast beat, death grind section is
fantastic), each frantic riff and drawn out bass note is mixed to perfection.
What a song!

05
- Beloved

"Beloved"
is the penultimate song of the record and the longest track on offer as well,
coming in at just under twelve minutes in length. Once again, it is a
mixture of styles, but it never feels forced and each section is a logical and
linear progression. It is so absorbing that you barely realise that the
time has passed and it feels like it has just started when it reaches its conclusion.

06
- Flame High

All
good things must come to an end and we have reached the end of this album,
which ends on "Flame High". Out of all the tracks on
offer here, it is the one that I struggled with the most as it felt as if they
were ending on a straight forward number. It is not a bad song, but
it has followed five stellar numbers that have showered this band in
glory. However, whilst it is not my favourite of the album, it is still a
good number that has a fantastic solo towards the end.

As
far as debuts in 2017 go, this one is a special album. It is hard to
pigeon hole and even harder to put down. Overall, the style is predominately
doom, with a large slice of progressive rock and metal as well. The execution
of the music is fantastic, it takes real confidence in your own abilities and
that of your fellow musicians to have the guts to realise an album of this
quality as your debut. This is something they do with a maturity beyond their years and they manage it brilliantly. If you want to hear
a band that are not afraid to push themselves to the limits, look no further
than Laser Flames on the Great Big News.

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

Translate

Notice to all....

There is nothing to download here - We share no links to free downloads, only to either Spotify, Amazon or the artist themselves. Support the artists and purchase the music, or at least listen to the Spotify link - they do get something from there, even if it is criminally low. All views given on this blog are only the opinions of the person who has written the blog and they are to be took with a pinch of salt. If you disagree, that is your choice, just as it is the reviewer's when they post their thoughts and views. Also, any photos used are from sources such as Wikipedia or Amazon - we aim to get free images where ever possible. All copyright belongs to the person who painted the image, the photographer, the graphic designer, the artist/bands in question obviously and as stated above there is no illegal downloads linked to this page.

If you have any requests for what you would like to see reviewed, let us know in a comment. You can also contact us at iisfoley1@gmail.com. Please note, if we have not replied within 3 weeks, we will not be reviewing the submission.

Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens